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At the launch of CARADOL From left: Dr. Olabisi Kuboni, University of the West Indies Distance Education Centre; Dr. Stafford Griffith, Caribbean Examination Council; Senator, the Honourable Satish Ramroop, Minister of State, and Ms. Thecla Reyes, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education, Trinidad & Tobago; and Mr. Wesley Barrett, Vice-President, CARADOL
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The Caribbean Regional Association for Distance and Open Learning (CARADOL) was officially launched in Trinidad & Tobago in February. ODL practitioners in the Caribbean's 12 member states, five associated territories and other countries in the region have come together to co-operate on matters related to distance education. While the association had been functioning informally for a couple of years, this launch event and first conference provided the opportunity to discuss relevant issues and priorities for action.
The two-day launch and symposium, supported by COL, the Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Science Technology and Tertiary Education and Ministry of Education, drew more than 150 distance educators from around the Caribbean and elsewhere. A number of presentations explored issues facing the field of education, including globalisation, emerging technologies, networks and policy development.
In his keynote address, Sir John Daniel, COL President and CEO, outlined COL's work in the Caribbean and pledged ongoing support to CARADOL. He also took the opportunity to announce that a Caribbean consortium of organisations, including CARADOL, had won their bid to host COL's Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning in Jamaica in 2006.
Following the symposium, in discussions with Trinidad & Tobago education ministry officials, COL agreed to assist with drafting a policy document for the use of ICT, help in preparing a national ICT in education implementation plan and provide discussion documents that explore possible partnerships with colleges or universities in Canada.
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"Accessing Education through Open and Distance Learning" was the theme of a two-day national symposium held in Georgetown, Guyana in February. Organised by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with COL, the symposium focused on the ability of new communication technologies to improve access to education.
In addition to exploring the potential and challenges for the increased use of ODL in Guyana, the forum officially launched the Guyana Association of Distance and Open Learning (GADOL). This national group will work with the Ministry of Education to promote the benefits and use of ODL throughout the country. Following the symposium, COL agreed to assist with drafting a national implementation plan for ODL and facilitate discussions with colleges or universities in Canada about possible ODL partnerships.
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"Promotion of Open Schooling" was the theme of an international conference organised by COL and the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) in Goa, India in January. Education experts and administrators from Bangladesh, Canada, India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the U.K. attended the three-day session.
In her opening remarks, Ms. Susan Phillips, COL Education Specialist, Basic Education emphasised the potential of open schooling to provide relevant and needs-based courses of study to children, youth and adults who did not complete school education. The open and distance learning (ODL) mode of education is now preferred not only by the disadvantaged and drop-outs but also by those who have easy access to school education, said Mr. M.C. Pant, Chairman, NIOS.
"Education for All" programmes will result in a huge demand on the education system that cannot be met by the formal schooling system," he said. "Open schooling is in a position to meet this challenge."
The conference concluded with participants agreeing on a number of recommendations concerning the promotion of open schooling in India and other Commonwealth countries, including moving forward with a detailed work plan for the Open Schooling Association of the Commonwealth (OSAC), encouraging Secretaries of State in India to establish State Open Schools and creating a National Council for Open Schooling in India that would establish operational and accreditation standards for open school organisations.
www.nios.ac.in/goa-iii.htm
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Workshop participants in Ahmedabad, India
"Open and Distance Learning for Sustainable Development" was the subject of a workshop in Ahmedabad, India in January attended by 20 delegates from Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, India, Papua New Guinea and Sri Lanka. Jointly organised by the Centre for Environment Education and COL as part of the International Conference on Education for Sustainable Future, the workshop focused on charting a road map for using open and distance learning (ODL) as a key tool to enable sustainable development around the world.
The conference marked the beginning of the UNESCO decade for Education for Sustainable Development. Participants discussed a draft document on Education for Sustainable Future prepared by UNESCO and explored issues related to the use of ODL and information and communications technology (ICT) for education and training in various aspects and for different target groups. Small groups deliberated on three areas: formal/non-formal education at primary, secondary and tertiary levels, reaching out to communities for sustainable development and professional development for sustainable development.
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A five-day Workshop on Research Methodology for Distance Education was held from 28 February to 4 March at the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL). The event, which was conducted by COL, was attended primarily by OUSL staff.
While there has been a huge growth in ODL provision in the south, research in the field seldom matches the standards found in the north. COL helps partners enhance distance education (DE) research capacity in several ways including developing institutional research policy, developing research agendas, undertaking and managing research, and reporting on research and evaluation to support and influence change. The first part of this strategy was the launch of the Practitioner Research and Evaluation Skills Training (PREST) training materials ( www.col.org/prest). The second stage is working with partner institutions to build capacity. COL is working with the Distance and Flexible Learning Support Centre at the University of South Pacific to help them define a research agenda, provide training in research skills and offer support to undertake research. COL is also conducting a series of Research Methodology for DE workshops, including the OUSL workshop and a workshop in India in December 2004. A third is planned for West Africa later this year.
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Eleven years of war have devastated the educational sector in Sierra Leone, with 60% of its infrastructure and facilities destroyed. While reconstruction efforts during the last seven years have helped partially restore these facilities, the restoration of normalcy has spurred a dramatic increase in demand at all levels. For instance, school enrolment has increased by 300% in the last seven years. As is the case in most of the developing world, Sierra Leone cannot afford to build enough new schools and facilities to meet the demand. There is also a severe shortage of trained teachers.
It is widely recognised that the country needs to explore alternative methods of widening access to education. By organising a national forum in February, COL is assisting Sierra Leone in taking an important step towards harnessing distance education and information and communications technologies (ICTs) to bring education and training to large numbers of people, including those living in rural and remote areas.
The three-day forum on "Increasing Access to Quality Education and Training for All through Open and Distance Learning" was held in Freetown from 16 - 18 February. It included a keynote address, "ODL in Africa: What works and what doesn't" by Professor Olu Jegede, Vice Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria and presentations about the potential of ODL in three sectors: education, agriculture and health.
As a result of the forum, a network of potential African partners was formed, consensus was reached about the need for a national ODL policy framework and an Action Plan developed for setting up a National ODL Centre.
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| More than 25 people from eight countries participated in the Second COL Roundtable on Quality Assurance in Teacher Education, held in Abuja in April 2005. Organised by the National Commission for Colleges of Education, National Teachers' Institute, Kaduna and COL, the session focused on "Quality Issues in the Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Teacher Education". |
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COL Board of Governors
COL's Board of Governors will meet in Vancouver, Canada, on 16 and 17 June 2005.
ODLAA, Australia
"Breaking Down Boundaries. The International experience in open, distance and flexible education", the 17th Biennial Conference of the Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia will be held from 9 - 11 November 2005 in Adelaide, South Australia. The President of COL, Sir John Daniel, will be a keynote speaker. www.unisa.edu.au/odlaaconference